Tennessee man shot, killed after YouTube video 'prank' goes wrong

NBC News ^ | Nicole Acevedo

[Impala64ssa]

A man was shot and killed in the parking lot of a Nashville business Friday night after a robbery "prank" for a YouTube channel went wrong, according to police.

When officers got to Urban Air in the city's Hermitage neighborhood about 9:20 p.m., they learned Timothy Wilks, 20, and a friend approached a group of people, including David Starnes Jr., with butcher knives as part of the prank.

Starnes, 23, told detectives he was unaware of the prank and shot Wilks in self-defense, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department said Saturday in a statement. The status of the friend who was with Wilks has not been disclosed.

Starnes has not been charged in connection with the incident, which remains under investigation.

[Impala64ssa]

Apparently, Wilkes was never taught as a child NOT to talk to strangers, let alone eff with them. Another Darwin Award winner bites the dust.

[FreeAtlanta]

Sad, but good. I am sick of these stupid “pranks” and wondered when someone was going to get killed.

I am sure it has happened several times.

The prank shows always piss me off, even when they are funny.

[cableguymn]

We must shut down YouTube for being the reason this man’s death occurred

[Bob434]

[[and shot Wilks in self-defense,]]

So didn’t Kyle Rittenhouse- difference is though he got arrested and charged with all kinds of charges

[Navy Patriot]

Tennessee man shot, killed after YouTube video 'prank' goes wrong

I hope Wilkes got really good video of his shooting.

I guess it's too much to ask for a picture of the expression on his face.

[Rebelbase]

Watched a fart prank video where a guy with a noise machine bent over next to an elderly woman riding a shopping scooter and let it rip.

The second time he did it the woman’s husband punched him and kept coming at him and the offender was trying to defend himself by saying, “Dude, it’s just a prank, stop it dude”.

[ConservaTexan]

Gene pool cleanup on aisle six...

[snarkytart]

Prank my arse. The other dude doesn’t want to be charged with attempted robbery.

[Governor Dinwiddie]

In a similar vein, a couple years ago some yob gave handed a .357 to his girlfriend. He held a thick phone book to his chest, and asked her to shoot him. She declined, but he insisted that the phone book would stop the bullet. So she shot him. The bullet easily passed through the phone book, killing the yob instantly.

[Paladin2]

" charged with attempted robbery."

Murder #1

[glennaro]

A variant of the “hold muh beer and watch this” road to YouTube stardom.

[snarkytart]

As dumb as that is, it’s more what a prank looks like. What is the joke/prank of walking up to people with butcher knives and “faking” a robbery??

[snarkytart]

Murder #1 ..huh?

[snarkytart]

I bet you this was not a prank...something is off about this story.

[Texas resident]

Rittenhouse defended himself from attack, but he is a white male, so he has 3 strikes against him from the start.

[Paladin2]

Well, his buddy did premeditately cause him to bist Tot.

[Dawgreg]

So didn’t Kyle Rittenhouse- difference is though he got arrested and charged with all kinds of charges

Uh, yeah.....Lord this country is so messed up!

[dead]

I knew a woman who was a prosecutor. She said defendants would explain to her that they were “only joking around” when caught in various offenses. She would tell them, “You laugh too hard, you cry.”

I have found that phrase applicable to many situations.

[Graybeard58]

I am sure it has happened several times.

.....................................................

“Slamming into a concrete wall on a bicycle”, type jokes, have never been funny to me.

[lee martell]

I tend to think it was a real attempted robbery, that messed with the wrong people. The surviving man is just trying to stay out of jail.
So he makes up a tale.